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"Fresh Air"

New Location: Racor & Lift Pump

As a part of the engine replacement project, we decided to move the Racor and electric lift pump out of the engine bay/compartment. Current ABYC "rules" seem to demand a metal bowl under the clear filter bowl, and this seems to defeat its purpose as a way to see any water accumulating. Further, the engine compartment in a small boat is crowded already.
So I moved the location for the coolant overflow tank from the under-cockpit-seat area to the engine compartment. This is visible in the previous two blog entries. This also allowed the level of coolant to be kept properly on a plane with the cap on the heat exchanger tank.
Note that when you "move" anything on a boat, you really do not create any new space; you just move around the space that you almost had before. Best I can do is make locations a bit more logical for the gear mounted there.

The bulkhead under the front of the portside cockpit seat hatch was then available for mounting the new larger Racor 500 and the lift pump close to it.
Another change was, on the advice of our installer, adding a relay in that location to handle the 12 volt current to: 1) the lift pump, 2) the exhaust blower, 3) a separate hour meter, and 4) the indicator light circuit for the Halon fire extinguisher in the front of the engine bay.

The only one of these that takes much current is the blower, but a multi-contact relay lowers the stress on the feed wire from the engine panel switch. The relay is a heavy duty "appliance" relay, and Tom has been installing these for this and similar boating applications for many years with no problems.

(in the picture, there is a piece of blue tape over the lead to the blower because it is temporarily unpowered because I need to find a way to sound-insulate the obnoxious noise it makes.)
The irony is that the blower whine was never noticeable before the new quiet engine was installed.

In the post-upgrade photos you are looking forward and the new parts are installed above the holding tank. That surface is the back side of the hanging locker in the aft head compartment.
The fuel supply comes in by the HT hose on the left and the hose going into the engine compartment leaves the picture on the right.
For the first time in history, I should be able to easily place a small pan under the filter when changing out a cartridge.
I wil also attach a photo of the old factory filter & lift pump assembly that was mounted on a piece of plywood screwed to the rear wall of the engine compartment.

You might laugh at the left over screw holes in that bulkhead surface, but it's suffered thru several changes of gear since 1988 !

Comments

Iʻm still using a clear-bowl Racor 500 in the engine compartment. My surveyor insisted a flame shield was necessary. Geico Insurance rep did not agree, since it is diesel not gas.

The flame/heat shield requirement is a can of worms and your solution puts the lid back on. Thereʻs no doubt in my mind that the Racor 500 is far better all around than the screw-on Racors, which are just plain irritating in tight spaces. Hereʻs Maine Sail on the issue: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/in...filter.160040/